1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automated outbound dialing systems, and more particularly to verifying an identity of a recipient of an outbound phone call, and whether the recipient is an intended customer.
2. Related Art
Enterprises that provide products and/or services often contact their customers for various purposes, such as informing customers about new products and/or services, informing customers about promotional offers and rewards, reminding customers about payment due dates, obtaining feedback to enhance their products and/or services, and the like. The enterprise may be, for example, a seller of consumer products, a bank, a travel agency, a telecommunication service provider, a credit card company, and the like. The enterprise may make use of outbound notification services to contact its customers by use of electronic messaging such as electronic mail, instant messaging, alerts, SMS, telephonic communication, voice channels, etc.
These enterprises often contact their customers through telephone calls. The enterprises may use outbound dialing systems to contact their customers. The enterprise customarily provides the outbound dialing system with a list of customers to be contacted. The outbound dialing systems automatically dial the telephone numbers of the customers in turn. The outbound dialing system then connects the phone call to a Customer Care Professional (CCP). Depending on the complexity of the system, the outbound dialing system may connect the phone call to a CCP when the phone call is being dialed, or when the phone call is connected, or when the phone call is answered by a live person.
Statistics reveal that only around 25% of connected phone calls launched by an outbound dialing system are answered by the particular customer that the enterprise wishes to contact. The remaining phone calls are answered by a person other than the customer, are directed to an incorrect phone number, or are otherwise unsuccessful in reaching the intended customer. This may lead to inefficient use of the CCP's time. To alleviate this inefficiency, the enterprise may need to employ additional CCPs to meet its target of contacting a predetermined number of customers. However, employing additional CCPs increases the operational costs of the enterprise.
Therefore, there is a need for methods and systems to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings.